The course that Jarrod Lyle called home is a country gem not to be overlooked.
Two things define Shepparton Golf Club. The first is its connection to the late, great Jarrod Lyle – a connection that will last far longer than his too-short time on earth – while the second is its proximity to the Murray River courses. A worthwhile stopping point either on the way north from Melbourne or on the return journey, Shepparton has long been viewed as a nice way to begin or close a Murray golf trip.
Such a mindset, however, misses one important factor: Shepparton Golf Club is better than a second-fiddle course. Indeed, it is just as good if not better than several of its Murray brethren.
Winter is also an underrated time of year to visit. Offering plenty of sunshine plus temperatures that are usually two to three degrees warmer than in Melbourne, Shepparton mornings are cool but what generally unfolds is a pristine, sunny day.
Shepparton is also one of those terrific golf clubs that is a one-stop shop. With an on-site, 12-room motel that sits directly behind the 18th green and a bistro in the clubhouse, all your off-course needs are catered for.
There are plenty of highlights on the course as well. With a setting that feels equal parts rural and riverland, the Sam Berriman-designed layout twists and turns with the natural undulations and provides an array of eye-catching shots and vistas. With ochre-coloured bunkers and towering gums and pines, it is a visual splendour as well as a strategic test. Holes dogleg in both directions, with fairways rising and falling in what is a fine test of ball-striking ability and short-game nous.
Shepparton Golf Club marked its centenary on April 5 and is justifiably still basking in the glory of its members Lynley Eadie and Kim Morris, who last year won the Golf Australia organisation’s inaugural Club Visionary of the Year award – an initiative that celebrates and rewards the work being done across Australia to promote gender equality in golf.
You also don’t have to look far for signs of the club’s favourite son. Lyle’s presence is felt via a display cabinet in the clubhouse and a memorial near the 10th tee. Now 100 years old, Shepparton is a club with an eye on the future but one highly cognisant of its past.
THE DETAILS
Shepparton Golf Club
Where: Golf Drive, Shepparton VIC 3630
Phone: (03) 5821 2717
Web: sheppartongolf.net.au
